Removable card tray and picker mechanism



May 6, 1941. G. NELSON REMVABLE CARD TRAYAND PICKER 'MECHANISM original 'Filed April 16, 1937 Y v Gunnar Nelson Y Inventor B y His Attorney Patented May 6, 1941 s PATENT crier.

EEMOVAELE CARD TRAY AND Pit/EER MECHANISM Gunnar Nelson, Dayton, Ohio, assigner to The National ,Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a. corporation of Maryland Originalapplication April 16, 1937, Serial No. 137,223.l Divided and this application April 19, 1940,` Serial N 0.330,569

a claims.

This invention relatesto card supply trays for card perforating mechanisms.

The present application 'is a` division of an apf plication for Letters'Patent of the United States, Serial Number 137,223, led by Gunnar Nelson on April 16, 1937.

In certain types of machines it is desired that the card supply tray be located within a closure and be movable to a more accessible position to replenish the card supply or be removable to make adjustments or repairs. s

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a'card supply tray which is readily removable to make any necessary adjustments or repairs and is movable to a more accessible position to facilitate the replenishing of the supply of cards.

It is'another object of the invention to provide a card picker mechanism attached to the card tray for removal therewith.

It is afurther object oi the invention to provide novel driving means for the card picker mechanism, which driving means will be readily connectible to and disconnectible from the picker mechanism when the tray is inserted or removed.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the esseni tial elements of which are set forth in appended claims and a preferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a left side elevation of the card supply tray, the picker mechanism, and the driving means for the picker mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation of the .card supply tray, showing particularly the means for supporting the tray for movement.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the card supply tray and the associated mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the mechanism for picking the cards out of the supply tray and presenting them to a card feeding mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of mechanism associated with the card picker mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the means for securing the tray in card feeding position.

General description When perforating means are used with certain types of machines, it is often desirable that the card supply be locked in a compartment to prevent unauthorized persons from having access thereto. Under these circumstances it is advantageous to use a card supply tray which can readily be moved to a position to receive a fresh supply of. cards and also be removable from the compartment so that other trays may be used or to better enable 'adjustments and repairs to be made to the trays.

A card picker-device has been mounted on the tray for removal therewith and enables the throat through-which the cards are 4fed one at atime by the picker deviceto be kept at a proper opening even though the tray `be movable from the position in which the cards are normally fed to the perforating means.

The coupling between a driving means and the pickerv device is such that the driving means is disconnected from the picker device merely by moving the tray from the position in which cards are fed to the'perforating means.

The details ofthe novel card tray, picker device, and drive for the picker device will now be described. Y

' l Detailed description A supply tray 1II (Figs. 1, 2V and 3) for the record cards has a framework, the sides and bottom of which form a receptacle for the blank record cards. The supply tray 1i I has fiared side plates 1 I2 and a ilared top plate TIS, which guide the record cards to the blade 114 of a picker device, which also is supported by the frame of the supply tray 1I I. The cards are advanced through the guide plates 112 and 1i3 to the picker blade 114 by a spring-pushed pressufe plate 115 having fixed thereto a rod 1I6, opposite ends of which extend through slots in tubular side members 1 I1 and H8 mounted between the plates H2 and brackets secured to the forward end of the tray, and said ends of the rod IIE t loosely, in holes in Vbearings' 1I9 loose in the tubes 'H1 and TIS. Compressible springs 125, confined between the bearings 1I9 and screw plugs in the ends of the tubes 1 I1 and 1I8, urge the pressure plate 1I5 rearwardly to advance the record cards to the picker blade`1I4. A bail 121 connected to the pressure plate 1 I5 provides means for pulling said plate forward and holdingsaid plate against the action of the springs 129) when it is desired to insert new cards in the tray 1I I.

' 'Ihe supply trayL 1II islaccessible through a closure of a compartment shown fully in the parent case, and, when said closure is opened, said tray may be slid forward to a more accessible position for inserting new cards. The tray 1II is slidably mounted by means of horizontal trunnions 122 thereon in cooperation with horizontal slots 123 in plates 124 secured to the frames 334 and 395 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6). The tray 11| is locked in feeding position by means of springpushed pins 125 in cooperation with corresponding holes in the frames 394 and 335. The pins 125 are connected to respective companion pinch levers 125 pivotally mounted between a plate 121 and the frame of the tray 11|. tensioned between extensions of. companion levers 125 urges the pins 125, which are slidably mounted in holes in the frame of the-tray Y11.1, into their respective locking holes in. the frames 394 and 395. The pins 125 are guided into their respective locking holes by notches 123 inthe plates 124.

To move the supply tray 111 from feeding position, in which it is shown in Fig. 1, to loading position, it is necessary to compress the companion levers 125 to remove the pins 125 from their respective holes in the frames 394 and 395, whereupon the tray 111 may be moved forward through the closure to loading position, 'which position is determined by the forward trunnions 122 contacting the forward ends of the slots 123. The tray 11 I may be easily removed from the machine for repair or adjustment by moving said tray forward from feeding position to a position where the trunnions 122 are in alinement with an opening in the forward ends of the slots 123 in the plates 124, whereupon said 'tray may be tilted upward and slid forward until disengaged from the plates 124.

The picker blade 114 (Figs. 1, 3, and 4) is adjustably mounted upon an angular surface on the top of a cross-head 130 mounted for vertical sliding. movement upon two guide pins 131 secured in the framework of the tray 111. Protruding from opposite sides of the cross-head 133 are trunnions 132 embraced respectively by the bifurcated forward extensions of'levers 133 and 134 pivoted 0n stationary studs 135 in the frames 394 and 395. Each of the levers 133 and 134 has mounted thereon rollers 136 and 131, which cooperate respectively with the peripheries of companion plate cams 138 and 139 secured on the shaft 555. Counter-clockwise rotation of the shaft 566 and the cams 138 and 139 causes said cams, near the end of a machine operation, to rock the levers 133 and 134 clockwise to shift the cross-head 13!) and the picker blade 114 downward. Downward movement of the picker blade picks the rst card outY of the tray and forcessaid card downward through a restricted aperture or throat wide enough to admit only one card at a time and formed by a block 140 (Figs. 3, 4, yand 5) and an adjustable rail 14|, both of which are secured to the framework of the tray 1-11.

The picker blade 114 carries the card between feed lrollers 142 and 143 mounted on shafts 155 and-16.27, which revolve in opposite directions to feedthe record card to a recording mechanism. The details of the recording mechanism and the manner in which the rollers 142 and 143 feed the cards to the recording mechanism form no part of! this, invention and will not be included in this application. Reference may be had to the parent case for these details.

Sometimes, due to unequal pressure and friction, the cards may become cocked as they are AV spring 128' by torsion springs 141 into contact with corresponding projections of the bottom plate 148 of the supply tray 11-1, and the spring pressure thereon retains the first few cards in the tray in proper alinement with the card picker blade. As the picker blade 114 moves down, downward extensions of a back plate 149 secured to the cross-head 133 engage the fingers 144 and 145 and push said lingers down out of the path of the'card being advanced from the supply tray to the feed rolls. The fingers 144 and 145 (Figs. l, 4,- and 5), in cooperation with the extensions of the plate 149, also retain the trunnions 132 in alinement with the bifurcated extensions of the levers 1-33 and 134 (see also Fig. 3) when the supply tray 111 is shifted forward toV loading position or removed from the machine, so that said .trunnions 132 will readily engage their corresponding levers when the tray is returned to feeding position.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulll the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to conne the invention to the one form or embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, adapted to issue punched record cards, the combination of a supply magazine for the cards, said magazine movable from card feeding position to a more accessible position for inserting new record cards and also removable vfrom the machine; a card picker device to remove the cards from the magazine one at a time, said device mounted on the magazine and removable therewith; a spring pressure means to advance cards into position to be engaged by the picker device; and driving means to operate the picker device, said means engageable by said picker device when the magazine is moved to feeding position.

2. In a combined cash register and ,card punching machine, adapted to issue o punched record cards, the combination of a supply magazine for the cards, said magazine movable from feeding position to a more accessible position for inserting new cards and also removable from the machine; a picker device mounted on the magazine and removable therewith; a sprinf,r pressure means, mounted in the magazine, to advance the cards to the picker device; means to reciprocate the picker deviceV to pick the cards out of the magazine one by one; means, including trunnions on the pickerrdevice and corresponding notches in the reciprocating means, to connect said picker device to said reciprocating means, when the magazine is in feeding position; and means to retain the trunnions in alinement with the notches when the magazine is out of feeding position.

GUNNAR NELSON. 

